Freed Spaniards Who Were Kidnapped In Colombia In Good Condition, Officials Say

Angel Sanchez Hernandez waves as he arrives with Maria Concepcion Marlaska, both from Spain, at a police air base in Bogota, Colombia on Saturday, June 15, 2013. The couple, kidnapped on May 17, 2013 during a tourist trip to the northeastern state of La Guajira, was rescued by police early Saturday in the same region, near the border with Venezuela. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)AP2013

The two Spanish citizens who spent 29 days in captivity in Colombia are in "generally good condition," the Colombian National Police Central Hospital said.

Maria Concepcion Marlaska Sedano and Angel Sanchez Fernandez, who were abducted on May 17 in the northern Colombian province of La Guajira, were rescued early Saturday by a National Police anti-kidnapping unit.

The Spanish tourists underwant physical, neurological and mental tests that came up "normal," the hospital said.

Marlaska Sedano and Sanchez Fernandez were released on Saturday from the hospital and taken to the Spanish Embassy in Bogota, where they will remain until they return home at an unspecified date, officials said.

The rescue operation was carried out by Gaula, the National Police's anti-kidnapping squad, with Spanish officials involved in the preparations.

"Two Spanish National Police officers were with us the whole time, very much involved in coordinating everything with Spain," the colonel said.

The 49-year-old Sanchez Fernandez and the 43-year-old Marlaska Sedano are both from the Spanish city of Aviles.

The rescue occurred in a rural area outside the city of Maicao, near the border with Venezuela, and some of the kidnappers - apparently common criminals - were arrested, the colonel said, without indicating how many captors were involved.

The raid was carried out very quickly and no gunshots were fired, Velasco Garavito said.

Sanchez Fernandez and Marlaska Sedano were abducted in La Guajira while traveling by car to the ecotourism destination of Cabo de la Vela, in Colombia's far north.

They were rescued in the same area.

On Thursday, some 500 inhabitants of Riohacha, La Guajira's capital, held a demonstration in the city's downtown to demand the Spaniards' release.